Twister

A storm-chaser and her estranged husband find themselves thrown back together by their mutual desire to unlock the secrets of a tornado's destructive path before a hi-tech rival group beat them to it. Speed director Jan De Bont's blockbusting but distinctly average action thriller is content to rely purely on impressive special effects rather than any kind of story. Starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes and Jami Gertz.

Twister

Parental Guide

'90s disaster movie has violence, some cursing.

Consumerism

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Drinking, drugs & smoking

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Language

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Positive messages

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Positive role models

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Sex

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Violence

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Parents need to know that Twister is a 1996 movie about the dangers and exhilaration of pursuing tornadoes on the Oklahoma plains and the types of personalities attracted to the endeavor. Cows, semi-trucks, trucks, and houses are shown to whirl around and crash violently to the ground in the action sequences; while younger audiences will note that these special effects are superior to the CGI sharks from the Sharknado franchise, the spectacle of these large bovines and objects spinning airborne might not impress them as much as the audiences who saw this when it was first released. A man is shown trying to keep a storm cellar shut before getting violently blown away by a tornado in front of his wife and young daughter. A man is impaled by a piece of metal that crashes through his windshield, causing his truck to flip and explode, killing the other passenger. There's occasional profanity, including one use of "f--k." A small town is shown devastated after a tornado struck. Some gratuitous innuendo: A tornado chaser talks about the "suck zone" in a way that implies he's not just talking about tornadoes; a woman later revealed to be a reproductive therapist answers her cell phone and exclaims, "She didn't marry your penis!"